New research from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, has revealed that the majority (77.5%) of Brits don’t want a job that involves travelling. Indeed, a further 28% of respondents claimed that they would actually decline a job offer if it meant they had to travel.
The survey was conducted to highlight how Brits feel about jobs that involved a lot of travel and revealed that over half (52.4%) would not like to travel abroad for their job because:
They missing out on time with friends and family - 51.9%
The time it takes to travel - 14.7%
Jet lag and feeling fatigued - 13.5%
Living out of a suitcase - 12.1%
Giving up weekends or free time - 7.9%
Commenting on the findings, Lee Biggins, Founder and Managing Director of CV-Library said: “Many of us have experienced how exhausting travelling can be, whether that’s from jet lag, long journeys or getting little sleep. So it’s understandable that UK workers are worried about the effects of travel on their health. The research shows that because of this, many professionals don’t want to combine work and travel.
“As an employer, you can help staff to prioritise their health and wellbeing by making sure you give them enough time off to recuperate after any work-related travels. Also, keep the lines of communication so you can quickly identify when someone may be heading towards burnout. After all, there may be better solutions, especially with modern technology meaning you could conduct meetings over Skype and so on.”
The study also highlighted that there is a clear generational gap between those that want to travel abroad and those that don’t. Those aged 25 - 35 commented that they would welcome the opportunity to travel with work, this figure rose to 78.1% for under18 year olds.
Just 38.4% of respondents aged 45 - 54 said they would like to travel abroad for work; however this figure fell to 33.7% amongst those aged 55 - 64.
Lee Biggins added: “It’s only natural that the younger generation would be more open to travelling for work - given that they will have less responsibilities such as childcare and mortgages. Our data tells us that the majority of young people want to travel as part of their job so they can see different places and experience different cultures. If your business has a new travel opportunity available, have catch-ups with staff and try to assign these roles to those who want the work-aboard experience.”